Beer Crock Pot Chicken

Like Beer Can Chicken?
Then you may like this!

4-6 chicken breasts or 1 whole or cut up chicken
1 can of any kind of beer
1/2 tsp garlic powder (1 clove fresh garlic, pressed)
1/2 tsp basil (Perfect Pinch Italian seasonings)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt (omitted)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
Weber's Garlic & Herb spice mix
Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning

Put all ingredients into crock pot
If frozen cook on high 4-5 hours or low 8-10
If fresh cook on high 3-4 hrs or low 7-8 hours

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients
2 C cooked chicken (pack the cup) (shredded instead of pieces)
3 C uncooked spaghetti, broken into two inch pieces (works out to be 12oz uncooked noodles)
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup (1 Cream of Mushroom & 1 Cream of Chicken)
2 C grated Sharp Cheddar cheese (1 cup Colby Jack)
¼ C finely diced green pepper*
¼ C finely diced onion*
1 jar (4oz) diced pimentos, drained (omitted pimentos, used red/orange bell pepper instead)*** 
2 cups reserved chicken broth from pot
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt (omitted Lawry's, any seasonings you think will taste good, to taste. I recommend salt free seasonings if you have them)
⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 teaspoon) cayenne pepper (omitted)
Black pepper, to taste
1 cup additional grated Sharp Cheddar cheese (Monterey Jack)

Preparation Instructions
Cook and cut up 1 fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups (two large chicken breasts boiled in seasoned water).  Reserve 2 cups of the chicken broth. Cook spaghetti in remaining chicken broth until al dente. (I used 4C water with Better Than Bullion Garlic in it) Do not overcook, drain well. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar. (by using less cheese I didn’t need to use all the broth, add it in gradually, mixture needs to be easy to stir, not watery)  Place mixture in greased casserole pan (I greased it with a light coat of butter) and top with remaining sharp cheddar (Monterey Jack).
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. If the cheese on top starts to get brown, cover with foil. **

*I didn't finely dice the peppers or onion - 1/4 in slices of all peppers and onion with a regular dice then sautéed until almost soft 
**I cooked it 20 minutes covered, 15 uncovered, added the cheese and cooked 5 more minutes
***Try adding 1/2C salsa and reducing the broth amount - brings a whole new flavor

You can make this ahead and save it (do not bake if you are saving it)
Cover and refrigerate up to two days 
Cover and freeze up to six months

Swiss Steak

1 ½  lbs beef round steak (cut ¾ inch thick) (chuck steak, 1/2 inch thick)
3 tbsps flour
1 tsp salt (Tex-Joy seasoning salt)
1 tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp pepper (1/2 t)
3 tsps garlic powder (2 t garlic powder, 1 t Weber's garlic & herb mix)
1 t onion powder
2 tsps shortening (olive oil)
16 ozs tomatoes (1 can stewed & sliced tomatoes)
1 onion (sliced) (half large onion chopped)
1 stalk celery (sliced) (omitted)
2 carrots (sliced) (omitted)
½ medium green bell pepper (chopped)
½ medium red bell pepper (chopped)
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
¼ cup red wine (beef broth)
¼ cup water


Cut meat into 6 serving pieces.
Combine flour, salt, mustard, pepper, and garlic powder.
Pound 2 T. of the flour mixture into the meat.
Brown the meat in the shortening on both sides.


Crock Pot Directions (I used this method)
After browning meat, transfer to crock pot.
Stir remaining flour into pan drippings in the skillet.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and cook until thick and bubbly.
Pour over meat in the crock pot.
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
Serve with noodles or rice.
Remove the meat from the crock pot and pour remaining liquid into a sauce pan.  On medium heat, add a mixture of cornstarch and water to the liquid, whisk/stir until thickened.  
Spoon thickened sauce over the Swiss Steak and rice/noodles and enjoy.

Oven Directions
Place meat in a baking dish.
Cover with thickened drippings and veggies as above.
Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Serve with noodles or rice.

Stove Top Directions
Drain off excess fat.
Add undrained tomatoes, onion, celery, carrots, Worcestershire sauce and cooking wine.
Cover and simmer for 1 1/4 hours or until meat is tender.
Remove meat to a serving platter and keep warm.
Combine 1/4 water and the remaining flour mixture.
Stir into tomato mixture until thick and bubbly.
Pass with meat.
Serve meat and sauce with noodles or rice.

Waiting for sauce

Ready to cook

Chicken Divan

Mom’s Recipe For Chicken Divan
20oz frozen broccoli
2 C sliced cooked chicken (2 breasts cooked and boned)
1t lemon juice
½ t curry powder
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 C mayonnaise
½ C sharp cheddar cheese
½ C bread crumbs

Cook broccoli until tender.  Drain well and arrange in a greased baking dish. Place chicken on top. Mix soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and curry – pour over chicken. Top with shredded cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until thoroughly heated.

Changes I made:
Veggies
2 heads fresh broccoli, florets only
1 small yellow squash, seeded, peeled, cut into chunks (optional)
½ a red pepper, diced
½ a small onion, chopped
Mix together raw veggies and place in a 9x9 baking dish

Chicken
Split fryer chicken boiled in water seasoned with Tex-Joy, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper – drain, let cool, remove skin and pick chicken from the bones, tear into bite size pieces
Put on top of veggie mix

Soup Mix
¾ t lemon juice
2 T milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup (any 'cream of' soup can be used)
½ C mayonnaise (OR 1/4 C sour cream, 1/4 C mayonnaise) 
onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, Weber's Garlic & Herb seasoning mix (all to taste)
(OR onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, salt free Tony Chachere's, Weber's Garlic & Herb seasoning)
Mix together and pour over chicken, making sure it covers edge to edge

Topping
½ C Monterey Jack cheese
¼ - ½ C crushed garlic & butter flavored croutons **
Sprinkle cheese over the soup mix
Sprinkle crushed croutons over cheese

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until well heated and topping has browned.

**I filled a snack size ziploc with Mrs. Cubbison's garlic & butter croutons and crushed them with the flat side of a meat tenderizer

http://www.mrscubbisons.com/products/butter-garlic-croutons.php 

***Happy Mistake - while putting this together the other night I accidentally forgot to add the chicken before putting the soup mix on! 
Poured everything in a large bowl and mixed in the chicken, made a second batch of the soup mix and tried again. 
Broccoli, onions, red peppers, chicken, and the first batch of soup mix all mixed together and placed back in the baking dish then topped it with the second batch of soup mix. 
Covered it and put it in the fridge overnight. 
Took it out to sit on the counter for about an hour before baking. 
Added the cheese and crouton crumb topping right before putting it in the oven.
Baked it for 35 minutes at 350.
Tasted even better since all the seasonings in the soup mix got to mingle with the veggies and chicken overnight! 
I will be sure to make this mistake again!